Friday, December 27

Word of the Year 2025 - EXPLORE!

Each year, we choose a Word of the Year...something to focus on energies on for the upcoming year. It's akin to the New Year Resolution, but less of an actual task than a change in mindset.

Unlike resolutions, a word of the year is a constant, yet gentle, reminder to focus on creating positive change in your world. It's a personal and inspiring process. Some of the benefits to choosing a word of the year include:

Simplicity - unlike a resolution, a single world is easy to remember and focuses on a clear theme
Intentionality - the single word is a daily reminder for your actions to be intentional toward a goal
Flexibility - life changes day by day, and a hard and fast resolution isn't always easy to follow, but a themed focus is flexible enough to change along with your days
Positivity - choosing an inspirational word helps you remember to focus on a positive mindset as you act to achieve the goal
Self-Reflection - choosing a word is an opportunity to be introspective with your aspirations
Narrative - over time, the choices of WOTYs add up to a narrative of goals, change, and a lifetime of personal aspirations

Our previous words of the year include:

You can visit each of these posts to pick up resources and ideas for incorporating those principles and goals into your home.

Pick up the 2025 New Year Resolution Pack for FREE on our Subscriber Freebies page! Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here!

2025 - Explore!

Explore:
to travel to a new place to learn about it or become familiar with it
to search and discover
to think and talk about something to find more about it

Curiosity and adventure are core parts of my personality...standing still in one spot for too long doesn't work for this gypsy soul! But exploration doesn't have to just be physical. There are multiple types of journeys one can take, including:

Mental
Physical
Long
Short
Spiritual
Emotional

Exploration can relate to creativity, food, ideas, travel, books, music, exercise, relationships, and fun. It's a word that exudes adventures and curiosity, and I'll be exploring my options as they arise to discover new things all year long!

Explore can also be a scary word for an introvert such as myself. It's an action word and one of those words that challenges me to be present in the world when it feels safer and more comfortable being hidden away. I'm not meant to be hidden away though. I should be shiny and vibrant -- I'm a LEO! I'm not meant to be caged.

Roadschooling

a form of homeschooling that involves traveling, allowing the places and experiences to drive learning (compatible with, but not the same as, Unschooling)

We spent nearly six years on the road, traveling around the United States and occasionally out of country, and I wouldn't trade a second of it. If you ever have the chance to roadschool, or even take an extended vacation, jump at it. The money spent on experiences creates memories, which can never be taken away. It gives you a connection with your children that can't be beat!

You can find all of the family travel inspiration and pre-made unit studies for a multitude of geographic locations around the USA at our Roadschool Page.

Exploring England with Teens

It's not just about myself either, but about helping the children to explore their world as they head off into it, starting new colleges. We took one to England for two weeks as a graduation trip. He helped with the planning, including transportation, finances, boarding, food, cultural activities, and all the little things that go along with international travel...and learned much more than he realized possible during those short two weeks.

You can take a virtual trip - or plan for a real one - and explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies! Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...

YES! I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Geography Resources

Geography gets a bad rap for being boring, but usually that’s just because it’s not being taught in an engaging way. After all, who wants to look at a bunch of maps for places they’ve never been (or possibly never even heard of) and think about people and things they will never see? To really get kids interested in geography, you have to bring it to life! Check out Innovative Ways to Study World Geography for TONS of inspiration...

Geography Helpers
Journey Through the Continents bundle
Cooking Around the World
45 Ways to Teach History & Geography through Literature

Geography Freebies

Read Across America pack
Read Around the World booklist
Lego States & Capitals

Visit our Cottage Shoppe for printables, e-books, and lots of fun resources!! 😎 Enjoy the journey!

Friday, November 22

Books to Celebrate Chanukah

As part of our continuing series on Celebrating the Holidays through Literature, this month we are bringing you a collection of Chanukah stories to share with your children!

Pop over to the Books for Christmas post to download your freebie, includes cross-stitch patterns for the holiday, easy peasy gift guides, a couple of fun holiday homeschool unit studies, a decorating guide to bring your personal flair, holiday self-care tips, and a cookie recipe collection!

What's the deal with all the different spellings?

There are over 15 possible correct ways to spell Chanukah in English...but why? "Hanukkah" is the traditional Hebrew spelling, while "Chanukah" is the Yiddish spelling. Yiddish is based on Hebrew, but also includes influences from German, Slavic, and Aramaic.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah is spelled Het-Nun-Kaph-Hay. That's four letters, but when they translate into English, especially with the accent marks, it leads to several possibilities. So Hanukah is right, and Hannukah, and Hannukkah, and Hanukkah. And so is Chanuukah, Chanukah, Chanukkah, etc...

Hanukkah Books for Kids

The booklist is alphabetical and includes books for everyone from preschoolers to middle schoolers.

Chanukah Movies for Kids

Download the entire holiday bundle of book lists for free. Can't get enough of the holidays? Incorporate the Bricks Through the Year and History of Our Holidays bundles into your homeschool year, too!

Pick up the Jewish Holidays in Literature Bundle!

Each of the ten unit studies in this year-long bundle centers around a book for middle school level and includes videos, cooking projects, hands-on activities, writing assignments, and more. There are also resources for younger children in eight of the ten units (not in *).

Introduction to Judaism
Solomon and the Trees + Tu B’Shevat unit
The Queen of Persia + Purim unit study (sample)
Devil’s Arithmetic + Passover unit study
The Secret Shofar of Barcelona + Rosh Hashana unit study
The Yom Kippur Shortstop + Yom Kippur unit study
The Mysterious Guests + Sukkot unit study
All-of-a-Kind Family Hannukah + Chanukah unit study
Broken Strings + Fiddler on the Roof + Persecution unit study*
The Golem & the Jinni + Kabbalah unit*

Wednesday, May 22

International Roadschooling: Transportation & Before You Leave

Before You Leave

Planning

Pull out your passport and check the expiration date. It can take a while to get your passport, so have one in hand when you book your trip. Make sure it's good for at least another year.
Traveling during Britain's "shoulder season" (May, September, and early October) is easier and less expensive than in peak season. Plus, shoulder season travelers enjoy smaller crowds and better room availability. July and August are peak months to visit, with very long days and nice, warm weather. July is typically the warmest month of the year and June is the sunniest.
Contact your cell phone company to add an international plan, if available. If not, you'll need an unlocked phone with a local SIM card.
Book hotels with cancellation, whenever possible. Travel insurance can help, but it's easier to simply cancel if that's an option.
Plan to stay in some smaller bed & breakfasts or hotels run by locals, if you have the chance. Get to know people in small towns and learn about cultural differences. (We recommend the Old Schoolhouse in Haltwhistle, if you get that way. Ten stars! Tell them the Oklahoma homeschoolers sent ya. Seriously though, Kate is an amazing cook and Ian is hilarious.)
Let your credit card company know that you will be travelling abroad. This way, they won't cancel your transactions, believing them to be fraudulent.
Get the travel insurance. It can cover financial losses, medical care, emergency transportation, lost baggage, and canceled or delayed flights.

Weather & Clothes

Don't overpack. Packing light will help you to be more mobile. Many places do not have elevators, so only pack what you can carry up the stairs, onto public transportation, and walking through villages.
Contact your accommodations ahead of time to see if there is a place you can do laundry. This will stretch your clothing, eliminating the need for more suitcase space.
Layer your clothing to accommodate various weather conditions. Tank tops, long sleeve shirts, and a jacket can be mixed and matched to cover many settings and temperatures.
You're more than likely to see rain at some point in your trip. Have an umbrella at the ready wherever you go.

Transportation

Planes

If you are certain of your itinerary, book your trip as soon as you have the money. This goes for airfare and hotel, but also train tickets. Choose your seats for both the plane and the trains. In addition to saving money, you'll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your reservations are set.
If you don't have a connecting flight, choose a seat toward the back for easier access to the kitchen and bathrooms.
Be nice to the flight attendants. Always.
When returning home, use the Mobile Customs app to speed through the customs line.

Trains

While there are some hiccups in rail transit, a lot of train companies allow you to file claims and get refunds online if your train is as little as 15 minutes delayed. Often if it's over an hour delay, you get a full refund.
The British are quite punctual and if you are late, you may be considered rude.
Book a table for longer train legs. You'll have space to read, eat, work, stretch out, and more.
Hold onto your train ticket. At bigger train stations, there are fare gates to scan your ticket on the way out, and the same applies for the Tube in London —you have to tap out in order to leave. On some trains, you'll be asked to show the ticket in motion and can be hit with a fine if you don't have it.
Order a pre-paid Oyster card, which can be used on various forms of public transportation in London, including buses, the Tube, trams and more. Using this card, rides are cheaper, and you can even show them at restaurants, shops, galleries and more around the city for more discounts!

Automobiles

Don't get run over. Driving on the left side might seem quirky and fun if you're not used to it, but the forgotten consequence for pedestrians is that cars are coming from a different direction than you're used to, so your natural instincts when crossing the street will be thrown off. Be sure to check both directions, multiple times, before crossing.

Feet

Don't cut in line. Queuing is almost a pastime in England...it's that important. In England, the right side of escalators is for standing, while the left side is reserved for people who are walking.
Fight against jet lag by getting rest before your trip. Drink lots of water during your flight to helps combat jet lag, and take it easy on the day you arrive. Don't immediately go to the hotel and lay down, but try to walk around and stay up to adjust to the local clock. However, to better avoid illness, give yourself some time to take it slow until you can overcome jet lag completely.
Do the touristy things. Odds are you'll never see the people around you again, so go out and enjoy yourself. Be a little quirky and see every tourist attraction you want!

Transportation websites:

Pick up activities and worksheets to augment your real or virtual trip in the unit study bundle below!

Explore the art, history, geography, food, and culture of England in this cross-curricular unit study….perfect for families getting ready to travel abroad or folks who want to travel via unit studies! Each stop along the roadschooling trip covers a different facet of history and culture with unit information, resources, worksheets, activities, and more...

YES! I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Table of Contents:

o Introduction & Geography of England
o Portsmouth
- o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
o London
- o The British Museum & archaeology
- o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
- o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
- o Buckingham Palace & royalty
- o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
- o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
- o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
- o Abbey Road & British Invasion
o Leeds
- o Royal Armouries & middle ages
o York
- o Jorvik & Vikings
- o York Castle & archaeology
o Haltwhistle
- o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
- o Vindolanda & archaeology
o Alnwick
- o Alnwick Castle & architecture
- o Poison Garden & herbs
- o Barter Books & WW2 history
o Alnmouth
- o North Sea & train history
o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England

Wednesday, May 8

Roadschool Trip to Leeds: Royal Armouries

The Royal Armouries is Britain's oldest public museum and traces its roots to the Tower of London. The collection is split across three UK sites — Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds; its ancestral home at the Tower of London; and Fort Nelson near Portsmouth. It is also the only UK museum to have a permanent presence in the US at the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.

If you have a chance to visit the museum, be sure to stop in the rock garden on the top floor, where you can see the city of Leeds and experience a peaceful moment of rest!

Once an important part of England's military organization, the museum is one of the oldest museums, and also one of the largest collections of arms and armour, in the world.

The Office of the Armoury grew out of the department known as the King's Privy Wardrobe at the Tower of London in the mid-15th century. Overseen from 1423 by the Master of the King's Armour, in the White Tower, the Office was responsible for manufacturing armour and edged weapons for the monarch and his armies; it functioned alongside the Office of Ordinance, which had responsibility for firearms.

Our teen took a notebook and pen, as well as a folding yardstick, to the museum to get accurate measurements and descriptions of various pieces of historic armour for his blacksmithing / swordsmithing business. Sparks Forge & Armory is a small business where he creates beautiful, accurate, and detailed historical reproduction crossbows, scabbards, swords, daggers, maille (chainmail), armor, and other medieval artifacts. Each piece is hand made and unique!

Visit Sparks Forge & Armory's website to discover the history of each unique piece as it is crafted. Follow the Facebook Page for the Artefacts of the Week!

Pick up activities and worksheets to augment your real or virtual trip in the unit study bundle below!

YES! I want 122 pages of FUN STUDIES!

Table of Contents:

o Introduction & Geography of England
o Portsmouth
- o The Mary Rose & naval archaeology
o London
- o The British Museum & archaeology
- o The Wallace Collection & medieval history
- o The Tower of London / London Bridge & the Tudors
- o Buckingham Palace & royalty
- o Victoria and Albert Museum & medieval art
- o Thames / Globe Theater & Shakespeare
- o Sherlock Holmes Museum & British Literature
- o Abbey Road & British Invasion
o Leeds
- o Royal Armouries & middle ages
o York
- o Jorvik & Vikings
- o York Castle & archaeology
o Haltwhistle
- o Hadrian’s Wall & ancient Celts
- o Vindolanda & archaeology
o Alnwick
- o Alnwick Castle & architecture
- o Poison Garden & herbs
- o Barter Books & WW2 history
o Alnmouth
- o North Sea & train history
o Newcastle o Segedunum & ancient Romans
o Tips & Tricks for Travelling in England

Thursday, March 14

Books Featuring Homeschooled Children (for all ages!)

While we love to teach about other eras, cultures, and people through literature, it's also good to recognize similarities...and homeschooled children don't often see other homeschoolers featured in the books they read. Fortunately, this is a trend that is changing!

It's a fuzzy feeling when your homeschooled child reads about another kid who is learning at home, too, and knows that s/he isn't alone. Whether your children are in elementary or high school, there's a book on this list that they'll be able to connect to, and the booklist is also a great reference tool for families (and well-meaning relatives) who are skeptical about this whole homeschooling thing you've been taking on....